China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines – one of which is available in the UAE – are less effective against the South African variant but do still offer significant protection.
Results from laboratory studies tally with findings from other coronavirus vaccines, several of which have also been shown to have lower efficacy against the more contagious form of the deadly pathogen.
Chinese researchers found that serum, a fluid component of blood, collected from a dozen people given a Sinopharm vaccine was able to neutralise the South African variant.
They're pretty good at stopping you getting severe disease, even if they may be less effective at stopping you getting mild disease
The protective effect was, however, weaker compared with that against the original coronavirus, a result of the South African variant having spike protein mutations that make it harder for the immune system of vaccinated people to recognise the pathogen.
Prof Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of East Anglia in Britain, said that even if vaccines offered slightly weaker protection against the South African variant, having one was still “tonnes better” than not being immunised.
“At the moment the evidence is still that they’re pretty good at stopping you getting severe disease, even if they may be less effective at stopping you getting mild disease,” he said.
“I don’t think we’ll ever stop the infection spreading, but if we can stop people getting severely ill and being admitted to hospital and dying, that’s good enough for me.”
The Sinopharm vaccine is being used throughout the UAE, while in Dubai the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are also approved for widespread use.
The UAE’s rapid immunisation programme has resulted in the country having one of the highest per capita Covid-19 vaccination rates in the world.
The Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, the last two of which are expected to be released for global use soon, have like the Sinopharm shots also been shown to be less effective against the South African variant.
Novavax aims to develop a new form of its vaccine better able to fight infection with the South African variant and could offer a booster shot alongside its original vaccine, a strategy also announced by Moderna. Sinopharm said Phase 3 trials of the vaccine found it was 79 per cent effective against Covid-19.
The test to determine the protection against new variants was to mix blood serum from people given the vaccine with the virus and look at the reaction. There was a reduced reaction against the South African variant, but it is not something that can be used to directly give an efficacy rate.
Experts have previously said the Chinese vaccines, which are based on inactivated forms of the coronavirus, could be redesigned to cope with new variants in about two months.
Vaccines have also been found to be less effective against the UK variant, which has spread widely, although typically the reduction has been less than that seen with the South African variant.
While both variants share a mutation called N501Y, the South African form has additional mutations, including an important one called E484K.
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
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